


Summer Nights

by ciitadel



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Funny, Gay Keith (Voltron), Humor, I hope you like it!, I love him, Lance is ridiculous, M/M, Modern AU, No space stuff, basically a normal life au, broganes, for the vld summer exchange, involves a cat, wayyyy longer than i thought it would be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 01:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11681547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ciitadel/pseuds/ciitadel
Summary: Keith is out one summer night wandering around the city, desperate for something to do.Of all the things that he could've found, Keith was not expecting to find a dude dangling off the edge of a convenience store roof in an attempt to rescue a cat.He also wasn't expecting to be coerced into helping the guy find the cat's owner, or for this night to turn into one of the simultaneously weirdest and best nights he's ever had.





	Summer Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I wrote this for the VLD Summer Exchange and lemme tell you I did not intend for it to turn out this long. I was expecting this to be 4k-5k words at most, but now we have this nearly 10k word monster of a oneshot. 
> 
> Either way, sorry for it being so long but to my exchange person, Mel (@pidgepodgepadgepudge on tumblr), I really really hope you enjoy this! At first when the only requirement was that it had to have an animal in it I had no clue what I was gonna do but a few days later my brain was like 'what if Lance and Keith had to get a cat home in some weird night adventure' and thus this was born
> 
> To the rest of you: I hope you guys enjoy! This was super fun to write so I hope y'all like it

The air was warm and thick, the epitome of a summer night. Everyone around was clad in light, airy clothing, in a futile attempt to ignore the oppressive July heat. The stars twinkled faintly against a canvas of black, their otherworldly glow dimmed by the city lights. It was on this night in the middle of summer that Keith Kogane found himself wandering about, desperate for something, anything, to do. 

Keith hadn’t expected to find what he was looking for when he had stepped out his front door on that warm, summer evening, but Keith was used to being wrong about things. 

And oh boy, had he been wrong about that summer evening.

What would later be considered one of the weirdest nights of his life started sometime around 8 pm, with Keith walking aimlessly about town. 

As he walked, Keith passed numerous people and stores, all lit up and ready for whatever the night could bring. He passed through a crowd of young adults, all of whom seemed to be at the very least buzzed, and were all laughing and dancing together through the night. Keith frowned and shoved through them until he got to the blessedly empty parking lot of a convenience store.

Walking to the side of the building, Keith leaned against the cool metal, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair. Why was he out here? He wasn’t going to meet up with anyone, and it wasn’t like he could go drown his boredom in cheap beer like other people in this situation did considering he wasn’t even 21 yet. Why did summer have to be so boring?

Suddenly, Keith was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard a noise coming from above his head.

“Kitty? C’mere kitty kitty kitty.” Looking up, Keith frowned when he couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. Taking a step away from the building, Keith heard the voice again, and realized it seemed to be coming from the side alley next to the building. Letting his curiosity get the better of him despite the numerous warning bells going off in his head, Keith walked into the alley. 

What he wasn’t expecting to see was a pair of legs dangling off the edge of the convenience store roof. 

“Oh come on kitty, come here! I’m not gonna hurt you!” What the-?

Why the hell was this guy dangling from a roof? For a cat? Was it his cat? Did it even matter?

Just walk away, Keith’s inner voice of reason said. Don’t get involved. Sparing one last look at the person’s legs, which were now kicking back and forth like they were dancing to some nonexistent tune, Keith turned to walk out of the alley, but stopped. 

What if this guy lost whatever grip he had on that roof and fell off and died? Keith would at least be partially responsible for that. Could he live with that knowledge? That a guy died partially because of him? 

Yeah, probably. 

But then the real question was could he live with the disappointment from Shiro if he were to ever find out about Keith’s involvement in this guy’s demise? 

Fuck.

Ignoring his sense of reason, Keith looked up to the legs, which he now noticed were rather long and slim, and took a deep breath before he called out.

“Hey-um, do you need help up there?” He asked. The legs stopped kicking for a moment.

“Actually yeah, I do. There’s a cat up here and I wanna get her down before she gets hurt. Could you like, I dunno, maybe find some way to climb up here and pull me up? I can’t really pull myself up from where I am right now.” Keith balked at that.

“What the- no! No, I’m not climbing up there!” He exclaimed, giving the legs an indignant look. 

“Aw c’mon, you wouldn’t just _leave me hanging_ now would you?” The guy snorted and began to laugh hysterically at his own joke, and Keith rolled his eyes.

“That’s it, I’m leaving-”

“NO! Please, I really do actually need some help.” The guy pleaded, still breathless from his giggling. Keith bit his lip and frowned. He was going to end up helping this guy whether he wanted to or not, wasn’t he? 

“Fine! But if I come up there won’t it scare the cat off?” He asked. Keith may not have known much about animals, but he knew enough to know that cats got spooked pretty easily. It wasn’t worth his coming up there if the cat was just going to run off the second he got both feet on the roof. 

“No, I’m pretty sure she’s asleep, and considering I’ve been yelling at her for the past twenty minutes I’d say she’s a heavy sleeper at that.” 

“Alright. I’ll do what you said and climb up.” Keith said, eyeing the wall as he tried to figure out how on earth he was going to get up there. Then, he spotted some wooden boxes stacked alongside the wall, and despite knowing this entire thing was a bad idea, began to plot how he could launch himself up to the edge of the roof using those boxes. 

Pocketing his phone, Keith took a deep breath and gave himself a brief mental pep talk, before he ran straight at the boxes. Leaping up onto the highest one, Keith gave himself no time to chicken out as he used his momentum to take a few running steps up the wall, before just managing to grasp his fingers along the edge of the roof. 

“Whoa! I didn’t see that, but it sure sounded like it was really badass.” Legs said in an impressed tone. Keith grunted as he began to pull himself onto his stomach. 

“More like me flailing around in a desperate attempt to grab the roof, but yeah, we’ll go with badass.” He groaned as he made one last yank, and sighed in relief once he was securely on the roof. Breathing heavily, Keith wasted no time in pulling himself the rest of the way up. Once his body was completely on solid ground yet again, Keith waited a few minutes as he let his erratic heartbeat calm, staring at the vast expanse of stars above his head. Suddenly, a voice beside him broke through the quiet.

“Hey, uh, I get that you probably just pulled some cool parkour shit and need to catch your breath, but I’m kinda starting to slip here.” The guy said, his voice sounding like he was beginning to get a bit winded. Resisting the urge to groan again, Keith immediately rolled up onto his feet, and after his head had stopped spinning, stepped over to Legs, extending a hand as he finally saw the guy’s face for the first time. 

The guy had dark brown hair cut close to his head, along with deep blue eyes set against bronzed skin. He was all sharp angles and points, with a radiant smile that was directed right at Keith. Keith felt his breath hitch slightly as the guy grabbed his hand, using it to pull himself up the rest of the way onto the roof. 

Wait a minute. 

He knew this guy. 

“Don’t I know you?” He asked, raising one eyebrow. Lance looked at him in confusion for a moment as he pushed himself to his feet before his face lit up in recognition. 

“KEITH! Hey bud! Good to see you!” Lance said, his smile widening. “I didn’t recognize you in the dark.” Keith nodded, thinking back to the several times he’d talked with Lance in their Psychology 101 class. They weren’t exactly friends but they were by no means strangers either. 

“Well, this is a weird coincidence.” He said, shoving both of his hands into his pockets. 

“Yup, didn’t think the guy doing parkour to save my ass was the same guy who crushed an orange with his bare hand after he got his grade back on the quiz.” Keith flushed when Lance mentioned that, fully aware that that was not one of his ‘finer’ moments. 

“I-I was really tired that day, okay?” Keith said defensively. Lance held his hands up in mock-surrender. 

“Hey man, no judgement here. Believe me, I know the pain.” He said with a chuckle. It went silent for a moment, neither of the boys sure how to continue this conversation. 

“So... where is this cat you were trying to get?” At that, Lance’s head immediately whipped towards a shadowy corner of the roof. 

“Oh! Yeah, she’s over there, if you can see her.” He said, pointing a finger towards something that was curled up in the darkness. Narrowing his eyes, Keith leaned forward and could faintly make out the outline of a black cat, coiled tightly into itself like a ball, breathing steadily as it slept. 

“How the hell did you even know this thing was up here?” Keith asked, giving Lance an incredulous look. Lance shrugged.

“She was crying earlier when I was walking down by the street, but by the time I managed to scramble up here she’d fallen asleep.” Lance explained in a hushed whisper, staring wide-eyed at the cat. “Now shush, I’m gonna try to walk over to her and see if I can grab her.” Keith nodded, folding his arms across his chest as he watched Lance get into a crouching position. Slowly, he began to creep his way over to where the cat was laying, the sound of his footsteps crunching against the gravel echoing into the night. 

Keith waited, and when Lance got somewhere about four feet from the cat, the creature stirred. It lifted its head, blinking at Lance with wide, yellow eyes. Lance froze in place, waiting for the cat as it stood up on all fours and arched its back in a stretch. 

“Hey kitty, c’mere girl!” Lance said softly, rubbing his fingers together in an attempt to entice the cat to come closer to him. The cat stared at him, wariness flashing in its gaze, before it cautiously began to make its way over to him. Lance waited patiently as the cat crept closer and closer, not making any sudden moves, and within seconds the cat pressed its head into his hand, and he laughed as he began to scratch the cat’s forehead with his fingers. 

Keith watched as Lance scooped the cat into his arms with ease, the cat purring contentedly as he made his way back over to a very surprised Keith. 

“How did you get the cat to come to you so easily?” Keith asked, looking at the cat who was now happily being carried like a human baby in Lance’s arms. 

“I dunno, I’ve just always had a way with cats. I guess you could say I’m like a cat whisperer.” Lance said with a wink. Keith rolled his eyes before noticing a collar secured around the cats next, and slowly reached forward to grab the name tag in between his fingers. The cat lightly swatted at his hand, before curling tighter against Lance’s chest. Keith grabbed the tag and leaned forward, trying to read the words in the faint moonlight.

“I… I can’t make out what this says, hang on, let me get my flashlight.” Keith pulled out his cell phone and shined it onto the tag, his frown deepening when all he saw was three faint numbers, along with scuff marks and scratches against the shiny metal. “It looks like the name has been scratched out, and most of the phone number too except for the area code.” Lance’s brows furrowed and he leaned over the cat to get a better look himself.

“Huh, weird.” He said, adjusting his grip on the cat. He brought his face closer to the creature’s own, nuzzling against its forehead. “Just what are we gonna do with you, cutie!” His pitch was high as he spoke in a baby voice, and the cat just purred and nuzzled back.

“Well, I know that I am going home.” Keith said, turning around towards the edge of the roof. Before he could even begin to think of how to get down from there, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. 

“Oh no no no, you’re not going anywhere.” Lance said, spinning Keith around to look at him again. “Considering you helped me rescue her, you are just as much an adoptive parent to her as I am.” Keith opened his mouth to protest but Lance cut him off.

“And because you and I are both her current surrogate parents, it is our duty to get her back home to her real parents as soon as possible.” Lance said in a way that reminded Keith of every superhero movie that talked about responsibility. 

“Uh, yeah, no, I don’t think so. I’m not gonna spend my night wandering around the city looking for some random cat’s owner.” Keith argued, his face pinched into a scowl. 

“What, you have something better to do?” Lance asked with a raised brow. Keith huffed and deepened his scowl.

“Y-Yeah! I do!” Keith said, despite having literally nothing else to do. Lance’s eyebrow rose up even further. 

“Uh huh, then why did you decide to help some random dude hanging from the roof of a convenience store instead of going to your ‘better thing’?” Lance didn’t believe a word he was saying. Keith wouldn’t believe himself either. 

“Because… B-Because I’m a good person, that’s why!” Keith insisted. Lance’s expression didn’t change, and Keith knew he really needed to get better at lying. 

“If you really were a good person, you’d be a good dad and help our daughter get back home.” 

“I’m not her dad and she’s not our daughter! She’s a cat!” Keith exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the cat. “That’s it, I’m leaving. Nice seeing you and good luck finding her owner.” Keith walked to the edge of the roof and peered down past his toes, looking for something he could use to climb down. It was then he noticed the ladder a bit to the right of the boxes he had used to launch himself up. Damn, he was an idiot, wasn’t he?

He walked over to the ladder, prepared to climb down, when he spared a glance back at Lance. Lance didn’t look too distressed over his departure, and why should he? Sure they had shared a class together but that was it. Keith didn’t owe Lance anything. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Lance owed Keith for helping him, not vice versa. 

So why did Keith feel like he had a responsibility to help this blue-eyed boy?

“It’s okay sweetie, daddy’s just going away for a bit, he still loves us.” Lance was cradling the cat and kissing her repeatedly on the nose, and she would occasionally bat his face with a soft paw, making him giggle. Keith looked back down at the ladder, and then looked again at Lance. He was looking for something to cure his boredom, right? Well, wasn’t this the universe giving him something to do?

“Ugh, oh my god, fine! I’ll help you find her owner!” Keith exclaimed, groaning as he ran a hand down his face. Lance glanced up in surprise before his face lit up, his mouth spreading into a brilliant grin. 

“YES! I knew you would see reason eventually, Keith.” Lance said, fist pumping with one hand while he held onto the cat with the other. “Do you have any suggestions as to where we should begin our search?” Lance asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“Well first I think we should get off this roof.” Keith deadpanned. 

“Oh, yeah, right.” Keith quickly showed Lance the ladder he had found and climbed down first, acting as a spotter for Lance as he climbed down with one hand, cradling the cat in the other.  
Once they were both safely on the ground, they had a quick discussion on where to go, and when Lance suggested that a bakery a friend of his worked at might have some missing pet posters, they agreed that was the best place to look first. 

Together the two walked the streets of the city. The cat never struggled in Lance’s arms, content to just let him carry her wherever he might want to take her. They pushed through several groups of people, each much more drunk and rancorous than the last. They made sure to hide the cat from the drunk college kids, knowing that at least three people would start sobbing if they saw a cat while under the influence. The air was still warm and heavy, wrapping around them like a thick and unpleasant blanket, but it was better now, more bearable, now that Keith had someone to talk to. 

Well, they weren’t doing much talking at the moment. But out of desperation to distract himself from the heat, he decided to change that.

“So… how’s your summer been?” Keith asked rather awkwardly, glancing at Lance as they walked. Lance looked up in surprise and grinned.

“Oh it’s been great! I went to Cuba to visit family and stayed there for, like, the entire month of June.” Keith let out a low whistle. 

“Wow, that’s a long time. Have you been before?” Lance let out a snort and nodded.

“Yeah, I lived there till I was ten actually,” He said, a soft fondness settling over his face. “What about you? Have you done anything cool so far?” Keith shrugged.

“Not really. Kinda just been focusing on saving up money from my job. That, and hanging out with my brother.” Keith said, suddenly remembering he hadn’t told Shiro he was going out. He pulled out his phone and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t see any missed messages. It wasn’t like he needed Shiro’s permission to head out, he was an adult after all, it’s just Keith knew his older brother had the tendency to worry like a mother hen over him. 

“Where do you work?” Lance asked, now rubbing the cat’s belly. She purred and nuzzled her head further into his chest, making him laugh. Keith sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

“I work at Starbucks.” He said. Lance let out a surprised laugh. 

“Wow, wasn’t expecting the guy who parkoured his way up a wall to work at Starbucks.” Keith scowled at him. 

“Well, it’s better than nothing.” Keith defended. 

“Fair point. I don’t even have a job at the moment so who am I to criticize?” Lance said good-naturedly, leaning down to give the cat a small kiss on the nose. He murmured some things in a baby voice to her that Keith couldn’t make out, and he wondered for the billionth time in the last ten minutes how the hell Lance was so good with cats. While Keith was lost in his wonderings, Lance looked up at him again.

“So what do you do when you’re with your brother?” Lance asked, jolting Keith out of his thoughts of Lance the cat whisperer. 

“Oh, um… we live together, at least when I’m home from college, so we see each other a lot obviously. We play video games together and sometimes he makes me go out to eat with his boyfriend and him.” Lance gave him a sympathetic look.

“Aw man, you have to third wheel? That must suck. I know I myself hate being the third wheel.” Lance said, the pain from past experiences obvious on his face. 

“Eh, it’s not too bad actually. Most of the time his boyfriend’s younger sibling comes with us and we’re really good friends so that makes it more bearable.” Keith said with a shrug. Lance nodded and looked like he was about to comment on it, when suddenly his eyes widened and he gasped.

“WE’RE HERE!” He announced, going to throw his arms up in the air but remembering just in time that if he did their ‘daughter’ would go flying into the air. Keith doubted the cat would be so willing to be carried by them after that.

Keith glanced up to see the building in front of them, and saw a sign on the front that said, ‘Balmera Treats’. Through the windows, Keith could see a small yet quaint bakery, with only one patron eating inside. It took him a few seconds to realize he’d walked past this bakery several times before, but he’d just never gone inside. Before Keith could say anything, Lance grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards the entrance.

“C’mon, let’s go inside!” Lance said. Keith wanted to point out that most eating establishments didn’t allow for animals to be inside, but he didn’t get the chance before he was being pulled through the door. 

A small bell chimed, alerting everyone inside to their entrance. The only customer just glanced up from their muffin with disinterest, before returning their gaze back to their food. Keith looked around, taking in the soft yellow walls and smooth hardwood floors, along with displays of bright and sugary treats that worked together to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. When they entered, the guy behind the register looked up at them in surprise.

“Hey! Welcome to-” He cut off when he noticed Lance and the cat. “Oh, hey Lance.” 

“Hunk! My man! How’s it going?” Lance asked, sauntering up to the counter, his hand still gripping Keith’s. 

“It’s going pretty good, almost closing time so I’m ready to get home. Shay left early so I’ve been running the place by myself for about an hour now. But, um, dude, I have two questions. One, why is there a cat in your arms, and two, who’s this guy?” Hunk asked, gesturing to first the cat and then Keith. He looked confused, but not nearly as confused as Keith would’ve been if Shiro or Matt or Pidge had come to him in the same situation. Hunk’s face almost looked resigned, as if this wasn’t the weirdest thing Lance had done. 

Knowing Lance, Keith figured this actually probably wasn’t the weirdest mess he’d gotten himself into. 

“Well, you see Hunk, while I was trying to rescue this damsel in distress from the roof of a 7/11,” He said, making a vague gesturing motion to the cat. “I got stuck and subsequently became a damsel in distress myself. So then Keith came and rescued me and together we rescued the cat.” Hunk stared long and hard at his friend for a moment before sighing and dragging a hand down his face.

“Of course you tried to rescue a cat from the roof of a 7/11,” Hunk said, rubbing at his temples with his fingers before turning to face Keith and extending a hand, a warm smile stretching across his face. “Hey Keith, nice to meet you, I’m Hunk. Thanks for not letting my idiot of a best friend die by falling off a roof.” Keith took Hunk’s hand with his free one and they exchanged a quick handshake. 

“Nice to meet you too.” Keith said, giving a small smile back.

“So why’d you bring the cat here? This is a bakery after all and we’re technically not supposed to allow pets inside.” Hunk said, raising one eyebrow at his friend. 

“Yeah, but you love me so much you’ll let that rule slide.” Lance said with a smirk, making Keith roll his eyes.

“Actually I’m letting it slide because it’s nearly closing time and there’s only one person in here.” Hunk said, gesturing to the one customer who waved at them without even looking up. Lance gasped loudly. 

“Rude!” He said, holding the cat closer to his chest as he pouted at Hunk. “Anyway, the reason we brought her here is because the name and phone number on her tag rubbed off, so we were wondering if anyone came by talking about a missing cat.” Hunk frowned and scratched his chin, presumably trying to remember if anyone had mentioned a missing cat. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

“Sorry dude, I don’t remember hearing about a missing cat.” Lance sagged in disappointment even though it had been a longshot. Hunk noticed his dejection and hurried to try and cheer his friend up.

“That doesn’t mean other places haven’t though! I know that, at least with my cat, he doesn’t like to stray too far from home so if you check at like, other hangout places in the area, you might be able to find something.” Hunk said reassuringly. Lance smiled and Keith felt himself brighten up a little as well.

“Good idea Hunk!” He said, before turning to Keith. “Do you know anywhere that might have like, missing pet posters or something hanging up?” Keith bit his lip and thought for a moment, before realizing he did know a place like that. 

“Actually yeah, I do. It’s not too far from here either.” Lance’s face lit up like the sun, that radiant smile back in full force yet again. Keith felt his heart stutter slightly at the sight. 

“Sweet! We’ll go there then!” He turned back to Hunk. “Thanks again for the help buddy! I’ll text you later!” Lance yanked Keith out of the bakery just as he had yanked him in, his hand still gripping Keith’s. As they stepped out the door, Keith heard Hunk’s voice call out. 

“DON’T GET YOURSELVES KILLED OKAY?!” Lance just laughed and nodded, and it was only seconds before they were back out on the street. 

“So Keith, where are we headed?” Lance asked, his blue eyes wide and excited. As ridiculous as it seemed, Lance’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Keith smirked at Lance. 

“To a friend’s store, just follow me.” Keith said, the playful mood of his companion beginning to rub off on him. He went to move forward but was tugged slightly backwards by his hand and glanced down, noticing his and Lance’s hands were still together, and Lance flushed and quickly dropped Keith’s hand. 

Keith’s hand suddenly felt cold, but he didn’t comment on it and just kept walking forward. 

It was quiet between them for a few minutes as Keith led them down the sidewalk, a blessedly cool breeze making its way through the streets providing them with some minor relief from the oppressive heat, before Lance decided to speak.

“I just realized, we now have a child together and yet I barely know anything about you besides that you work at Starbucks, have a brother, can do parkour really well for some reason, and hate early morning lectures.” Lance said, absentmindedly petting the now asleep cat in his arms. Keith snorted and went to rebut that they did not have a child together, but decided to hold his tongue. 

“Yeah, sounds pretty irresponsible of you to have a kid with someone you barely know.” Keith teased. Lance gave him a surprised look, like he wasn’t expecting Keith to play along, and his face became impossibly brighter. 

“Well we’re gonna have to fix that aren’t we?” Lance said with a smirk. “So… are you single?” Keith coughed in surprise, not expecting Lance to start with that. 

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m single.” He said, scratching the back of his next. 

“Cool, cool.” He said, scratching the cat under her chin. “I’m single too, by the way.” Keith nodded, wondering why he felt himself blush just a little at that news. Lance was quiet for a moment as he pondered his next question. 

“This one you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but, like, you know the thing they say about the gaydar?” Keith nodded, not sure where Lance was going with this. “I’m kinda getting these vibes from you that are like-”

“Yes I’m gay.” Keith said bluntly, cutting Lance off. Lance blinked for a moment before his smile returned. 

“I knew it! We can always sense each other.” Lance said, leaning towards Keith in a conspiratorial manner as they walked. Keith frowned and gave him a confused look. 

“We?” Lance sighed at Keith’s confusion.

“Well, almost all of us,” He corrected. “I’m bi.” _Oh_. Keith nodded and waited as Lance thought of another question. 

“So what’s your major?” Ah, this Keith could talk about with ease. 

“I’m in aerospace engineering.” Keith answered. Lance let out a low whistle. 

“Oh damn, that’s cool. I’m a marine biology major myself.” He said, making Keith look at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected Lance to be a science major, but then again, his gaydar didn’t even work so who was he to judge?

The two got to chatting about their respective majors, discussing classes, and possible careers, along with complaining about general ed requirements and book prices. The conversation flowed easily, and before Keith knew it, they had arrived at their destination. 

Keith looked at the video game store in front of them, the large sign saying ‘Holt Tech and Games’ flashing neon against the sky. Peering in, he could just make out two heads of golden-brown hair, and turned to Lance. 

“You brought us to a video game store?” Lance asked, peering dubiously at the sign. Keith shrugged.

“I’m friends with the owners, plus it’s a pretty popular hangout for teenagers on the weekends because of their Smash Bros competitions.” Keith explained. Lance’s eyes widened and his expression lightened. 

“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s head inside!” Keith just chuckled and took Lance’s hand, just as he had done to him when they were entering Hunk’s cafe, and pushed through the doors and into the heavenly cold air of the shop. 

Keith felt the familiarity overwhelm him as he stepped through the doors. He’d been coming to this video game store long before Shiro and Matt had started dating, and always felt just a bit more calm in here than he did anywhere else. 

“Heyo,” Matt called as he turned around from where he was talking with Pidge behind the counter. “I’ll be with- oh, wait, never mind, it’s just Keith.” Matt said, starting his customer spiel but stopping almost immediately. Keith rolled his eyes and walked over to the counter as Pidge turned around as well, tablet in her hand.

“Hey Keith, what’s up?” She asked, before her gaze fell upon Lance and the cat. She stared at them for a few seconds in silence, and then looked back down at her tablet. “You know what? Not even gonna ask.” 

“Do we wanna know the story behind the cat and boy?” Matt asked, resting his elbows on the counter as put his head in his hands. 

“Long story short Lance here was hanging from a roof trying to rescue this cat, and I saved his ass from falling, and now we’re trying to find the cat’s owner.” Keith explained while Lance waved a bit at his intro. Matt nodded, still looking fairly confused while Pidge looked right to where their hands met. 

“And you two are holding hands because…?” Keith and Lance both felt their cheeks go bright red, letting go simultaneously. Lance put his hand under the cat and Keith shoved both of his hands into his pockets. Pidge just snorted and rolled her eyes before continuing the tapping on her tablet. 

“Oh leave them alone, Pidgey.” Matt said, punching his sibling lightly on the shoulder. “My question is, why did you decide to bring the cat here?” Matt asked. 

“We were wondering if you guys heard anything about any missing cats in the area? Like from some of the teenagers that come by or something?” Lance asked, suddenly breaking into the conversation. Matt pursed his lips while Pidge glanced up, and hurriedly began to tap something on her device. 

“I haven’t heard anything, no.” Matt said, before straightening up. “I’m Matt by the way, and this little gremlin is Pidge.” He said, ruffling Pidge’s hair as he spoke. She hissed and smacked his hand away. 

“Pidge like the Pokemon?” Lance asked, eyebrows furrowed. Pidge sighed and rolled her eyes. 

“Yes Pidge like the Pokemon. It was Matt’s nickname for me when we were kids and it just kinda stuck.” She explained, looking slightly exasperated. Keith figured this was probably the fifth time she’d had to say that today. “My actual name is Katie but no one uses that. Just call me something other than dipshit and we’ll be fine.” Lance snorted at the meme reference and Keith saw a hint of a smile on Pidge’s face.

“Got it,” Lance said with a grin. “I’m Lance, and this is my daughter, Mystery.” 

“We didn’t agree to that name.” Keith protested with a frown. He may not have that many strong feelings towards the cat, but he wasn’t going to let the poor thing be named after a Spongebob joke of all things. 

“Excuse you, I named her when you were still denying your role as her father.” Lance argued back. 

“That lasted for like, not even two minutes!” 

“Yeah, but it was two minutes she was missing a parent! It scarred her for life!” 

“She’s a cat, I really doubt that.” 

“ARE YOU DENYING OUR DAUGHTER’S SENTIENCE?!” 

“What are we witnessing?” Pidge whispered into Matt’s ear as the two boys continued to argue. 

“A magical combination of euphoric exhaustion combined with too much romantic and sexual tension.” Matt whispered back. Suddenly, Lance gestured just a little too wildly and the cat leapt out of his arms, landing right on the counter and giving Lance an annoyed look. 

Keith and Lance went silent as the cat padded over to Pidge and Matt, making both the siblings coo as they began to run their hands through her fur. Pidge began to scratch behind her ears and she purred, before glancing back to Lance with a look Keith could only describe as smug. 

“Now look what you’ve done, she’s abandoned us for the Holt’s.” Keith said, gesturing to the siblings. Matt rubbed underneath her chin and quickly scooped her up into his arms, and Pidge leaned over to give her a small kiss on the head. 

“I’ve betrayed my daughter.” Lance whispered, looking emptily into the distance. Keith, Pidge, and Matt all snorted at Lance’s dramatics, and, as if she knew what he was saying, the cat lithely jumped out of Matt’s arms and walked across the counter and right back towards Lance. 

“She came back to me! I knew she loved me!” Lance said, rubbing his hand along her back. She arched her spine, sticking her butt straight up in the air, and purred loudly. Lane chuckled and scooped her back up into his arms, where she cozied herself back up just as she had been before. “Well, we should probably get going.” Lance said. 

“Do either of you have any idea of where we could maybe find out if anyone’s missing a cat?” Keith asked the siblings. Both shook their heads. 

“I don’t have a clue bro, but if you still haven’t found any leads by the time you go home I’ll see what I can dig up online.” Pidge said, now having pulled out her laptop from underneath the counter. 

“Thanks, Pidge.” Keith said, earning a grunt in response. Keith and Lance turned to leave, when Matt called out. 

“If you’re gonna stay out late make sure to text Shiro, you know how worried he gets.” Matt said. Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded.

“I know I know, I’m continuously checking my phone to make sure he hasn’t had an aneurysm.” Keith said, and Matt gave him a thumbs up in approval. 

“Good, I don’t want you giving my boyfriend a heart attack just because you couldn’t be bothered to tell him you were on a night adventure with a cat.” Keith nodded again and rushed out the store, ready to get a move on with Lance. 

It was quiet now outside. The large crowds of people from earlier were gone, now only a few stragglers wandered the streets. As soon as Keith stepped out he felt the wave of heat crash into him, a jarring contrast to the cool air inside the store. Keith felt the weight of the humidity sag his shoulders, his shirt clinging to his body yet again. 

“So… where now?” Keith asked. Lance frowned and adjusted the cat in his arms, looking around the streets as if they would provide the answers. 

“Well…” His frown deepened as he tried to think of something they could do, before he sighed and shook his head. “I honestly don’t know if we’re gonna be able to find her owner tonight. It’s getting late and everything is closing, we- _I_ might have to continue looking tomorrow.” Keith felt strange disappointment in their night of fun ending. At first he hadn’t wanted to go on this ‘adventure’ at all, and now the thought of going back home to his and Shiro’s apartment, just as bored as when he’d left, made him feel sick. 

Lance was fun to hang out with. He was silly and overdramatic and always knew how to defuse a situation. But he was also a genuinely nice guy, and surprisingly easy to talk to. He knew how to hold a conversation even when the other person wasn’t able to keep up their end, and Keith felt more at ease with him than he was with people he’d been friends with for years. Lance’s endless enthusiasm and playfulness was infectious, and Keith liked being able to tease and mess around with him. During the course of this weird night he’d felt more relaxed than he had all summer, and knew that this was the epitome of a memorable summer night. 

Not to mention the strange fluttering in his chest whenever the two of them ‘accidentally’ brushed against one another. Or the hitch in his breath whenever Lance grabbed his hand, or he grabbed Lance’s. Or even when Lance had told him he was single, and how happy that’d made Keith internally. 

There was the potential for something here. Something good to come out of this night. 

Keith didn’t want that potential to be wasted. 

“Well, if we don’t mind her owner tonight, I’ll keep helping you look tomorrow.” Keith said, staring at his feet. He heard Lance suck in a small breath and glanced up to see that the radiant smile had returned yet again, and Keith felt the tightness in his chest loosen. 

“I knew you liked her.” Lance said with a smirk. Keith wanted to say _No, it’s because I like you_ , but stopped himself and instead just shrugged.

“What can I say? She’s growing on me.” He said, reaching out to scratch her head. The cat meowed loudly and batted his hand away with her paw, and he gave her an offended look. The cat stared back, not caring. 

Lance began to suffocate in a fit of giggles at that, and Keith could barely keep his fake scowl on for more than a few seconds before he began to laugh too. Keith didn’t know exactly why they were laughing, but either way it was enjoyable. It was a few minutes before their laughter died down, both breathless as they stared at each other with bright eyes and flushed cheeks. 

It was then the cat decided to meow very loudly. 

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked her, twisting his fingers gently in her fur. She meowed again and batted at his hand, squirming in his hands. 

“Uhhh, maybe she’s hungry?” Keith asked. The cat meowed again, as if to confirm this point. 

“Oh yeah, we don’t know when the last time she ate was.” Lance said, giving the cat a worried look. “You wouldn’t happen to have any cat food at your house, would you?” Keith shook his head and Lance sighed. “Me neither.” 

“We… We could go to Walmart? I think they’re still open.” Keith suggested. Lance’s face lit up again, and he snapped his fingers loudly. 

“Great idea!” Lance said, before a frown flashed across his face. “Wait, how are we gonna get there? I think Walmart is a little too far for us to walk to.” Keith returned the frown, wondering if he could go get his car from his house, but realized it would take forever for them to walk all the way to his and Shiro’s apartment building. 

“What about the subway?” He suggested, pointing to a nearby subway entrance across the street from them. Lance looked to the entrance and pondered for a second, before nodding in agreement. 

“Alright, no one’s gonna care about a cat on the subway at ten at night.” He said, and Keith made a noise of agreement. Keith pulled out his phone as they walked across the street to the entrance, googling the routes and which train they needed to take in order to get to Walmart. After figuring out where they needed to go, Keith led Lance down the stairs and into subway. 

Harsh fluorescent lights created sharp shadows along the walls, their footsteps echoing along the tiled floor as they walked. There were a few other people around as they got their passes and moved into the waiting area for the train, but most paid them no mind. It was late, hardly anyone was taking the subway at this hour, and Keith felt like if there was any place reality didn’t quite work, it would be here. 

They waited at the platform for the train, Lance still holding the cat with one hand, and Keith’s hand in the other. Keith didn’t know when exactly they had started holding hands again, it happened sometime while they had been pushing past a few people drunkenly stumbling about, but neither had let go after that. And it was pleasant, having Lance’s hand wrapped around his own, keeping it warm from the cool air of the station. 

After a few minutes of waiting in silence, the faint sound of whirring could be heard, and Keith glanced down the tunnel just as the train came rushing forth, blowing his hair up around his face as a gust of warm wind knocked into both him and Lance. The train slowed and came to a stop, the doors hissing as they slid open. Only a few people came off the train, and within seconds Keith and Lance had stepped inside one of the empty cars, the doors hissing as they slid shut yet again. 

Lance let go of Keith’s hand as he sat down on one of the dirty orange seats, and Keith stood there awkwardly for a moment before Lance gestured to the seat next to him. Keith sat down, relaxing into the plastic leather as the fatigue from the night hit him all at once. They had been walking around for hours, not stopping to sit in either of the stores they had gone into. Keith could only imagine how tired Lance must be feeling, considering he had to carry the cat the whole time. Although he was sure the cat didn’t weigh that much, Lance had been holding her for several hours now. 

Keith watched the artificial lights of the tunnel fly by in a haze outside the window of the train, his vision blurring until it just became one steady stream of light. Sighing, he sunk back further into his chair, feeling his eyelids droop despite it only being ten at night. He felt calm in the subway, this place where fluorescent lights flickered every once in awhile, where strangers didn’t question even the oddest of sights, and where one simply ignored the dark shadows moving around at the corner of their vision. 

Without thinking about it, Keith’s head dropped onto Lance’s shoulder, his breathing steady as he felt himself slipping away from consciousness. He felt Lance stiffen for a split second, before he relaxed against the seat yet again. 

Next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake by a very persistent Lance. 

“C’mon dude, this is our stop.” Lance said quietly, nudging him off his shoulder. Keith lifted his head, blearily blinking as he looked around in confusion, trying to remember where he was. When he saw the cat in Lance’s arms, everything came flooding back, and he hastily sat up, his cheeks flushing when he realized he had fallen asleep on Lance’s shoulder. 

“S-Sorry I fell asleep.” He mumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion. Lance just laughed lightly.

“It’s fine, you’re cute when you sleep.” Lance seemed to realize what he had said at the same time Keith did, both of their cheeks flaming red as Keith hastily dropped his gaze to his hands. He expected Lance to backtrack, to stumble over his words to take back what he said, but it never came. 

Instead, the train just came to a stop, and Lance took his hand yet again as he led them both out of the subway. 

They found the Walmart quickly, the front greeter barely giving them a second glance as they walked straight through the front doors, cat in tow. Keith figured after ten they probably stopped giving a shit about people bringing weird things inside their store. 

“Okay, where’s the cat food?” Keith asked once they were inside. 

“I know, it should be over this way.” Lance said, leading Keith down and across several aisles. Keith quickly found himself turned around, the bright advertisements along the walls and the unmistakeable Walmart smell combining to create a strange and unreal labyrinth. 

But, Lance was true to his word, and within seconds they were standing in front of the cat food. 

“Uhh, what kind do we get?” Keith asked, staring at the numerous bags of dry food with a raised eyebrow. Lance frowned and knelt down, peering to get a better look. Keith was about to kneel down to join him, when a loud ringing from his pocket nearly made him jump out of his skin.

The cat immediately leapt out of Lance’s arms and he began to frantically chase her down the aisle, while Keith whipped out his phone to see who was calling him. 

The name ‘Shiro’ was blaring across his screen, and Keith felt his stomach drop. 

He swiped to answer.

“H-Hey Shiro!” Keith said casually, ignoring Lance’s cursing as he tried to get the cat back in his arms. 

“Keith, where are you? I’ve been texting you for the past hour.” Shiro said, his voice stern. Keith gulped, realizing he’d forgotten to check his phone despite promising Matt he would. 

“Well, uh, I-” Keith was cut off by Lance’s cheer as he got the cat back in his arms, and glanced to see Lance raising one fist in the air and the other holding the now struggling cat. 

“What’s that noise?” Shiro asked, sounding both confused and worried. 

“That’s, uh, a friend of mine.” Keith said awkwardly. Lance stopped his cheering, now realizing that Keith was on the phone, and mouthed a quick apology before he knelt back down in front of the cat food. 

“A friend? Where are you?” Shiro sounded less worried now and more annoyed.

“I’m at Walmart.” Keith said bluntly.

“Walmart?” Okay, Shiro was just plain perplexed now.

“Yeah, my friend and I are buying cat food.” Keith explained, kneeling down next to Lance as he began to read the labels on the cat food. 

“Why are you buying cat food?” 

“Because we found a cat.” 

“Where did you find a cat?”

“On a roof. That’s also where I found my friend.” Lance let out a snort at Keith’s explanations, covering his mouth with his free hand so Shiro wouldn’t hear. Shiro sighed deeply and Keith smirked.

“Please just explain to me what’s going on from the beginning?” Shiro requested, now sounding very _very_ tired. Keith chuckled lightly and ran a hand through his hair with the hand not holding the phone, and straightened back up to a standing position.

Keith explained in as brief of terms as possible how the whole night had gone down. He explained Lance’s dangling legs, how he and Lance knew each other, the visit to Hunk’s cafe, and then the visit to the Holt’s video game store. Shiro stayed quiet as he listened, probably regretting ever letting his brother out of his sight in the first place. 

“And now we’re at Walmart trying to find cat food.” Keith finished, picking up a bag of dry cat food. The cat on the front of the bag had eyes so wide, it looked more like a cartoon then real life. 

“Keith why on earth- wait,” Shiro stopped the beginning of his lecture suddenly, and Keith put down the bag of cat food. “You said the cat was black with yellow eyes? And that you found her by the 7/11?” 

“Yup.”

“Actually… I think Allura mentioned she knew someone who had lost their cat, and the description was just like that.” Shiro said, his tone indicating he was lost in thought. Keith immediately straightened to attention, tapping Lance on the shoulder and gesturing for him to lean closer as he turned it on speakerphone. 

“Wait, seriously? Shiro, I have you on speakerphone so my friend Lance can hear you. Tell us about the missing cat.” Keith said. 

“I don’t know much about it, Allura just told me to keep an eye out for a black cat with yellow eyes. You should probably call her yourself.” Keith nodded and started to say his goodbye’s when Lance interrupted him.

“Wait, Allura? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about Allura Altea would you?” Lance asked, his face screwed up in confusion.

“Uh, yeah? She’s a close friend of mine.” Shiro said. 

“Whoa! No way! That’s so weird, she’s like, one of my best friends!” Lance exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. 

“Huh, small world.” Shiro commented dryly. “Well, I gotta go now, but Keith, please try to be back before one, and Lance, it was nice meeting you.” 

“Nice meeting you too, Shiro!” And with that, Keith hung up the call. 

The two immediately called Allura, who was thrilled to hear they had found the missing cat. She gave them the address of the owner, and told them to go by as soon as possible. She was also quite amused to find out Lance and Keith knew each other, and made them promise they would all get together for lunch one day. After the call with her ended, Keith and Lance used google maps to find out how to get to the address Allura had sent, and before they knew it, they were back on the subway. 

Keith felt cold despite the oppressive heat as they made their way to the end of their journey together. It had been a wild night, and despite his exhaustion, Keith never wanted it to end. 

He leaned against Lance again, despite not being asleep, watching the tunnel lights go by with half-lidded eyes. Lance didn’t comment, instead he just continued stroking the cat’s fur, before resting his own head on top of Keith’s. 

Their walk down the now-empty street was silent, the orange light of the street lamps reflecting off their faces and creating heavy shadows behind them. This was the quiet time of night, where it felt as if both anything and nothing was possible at the same time. Summer nights were filled with possibility, they were filled with a sense of freedom one only had in the hottest of months. 

That’s what this night had been filled with, possibility. The possibility for adventure, the possibility for friendship, and maybe even the possibility for something more. 

Keith would give Lance longing glances when he wasn’t looking as they walked, unaware of the fact that Lance was doing the same whenever his head was turned. 

It wasn’t long before they stood in front of a door, waiting for the other to knock first. 

Lance eventually lifted his fist, hesitating for only a second, before knocking. 

They heard a loud crash from behind the door, along with the sound of a man cursing, before the door opened to reveal the owner they had been searching for all night.

The man had ginger hair rolled into curlers, along with a mustache with rollers as well. He was wearing a bright white robe and blue slippers, and looked as if he had just either been in the middle of a facial or a bubble bath. When he first opened the door, his face was screwed up into an expression of annoyance, but as soon as his gaze fell upon the cat in Lance’s arms, that turned into pure joy.

“ZARKON! YOU FOUND HIM!” The man yelled, eagerly grabbing the cat out of Lance’s arms. The cat, apparently named Zarkon, mewled happily and curled up into the ginger man, nuzzling into his chest with a purr. 

“Oh my! Thank you boys! Thank you so much!” He cried, looking like he was going to tear up. 

“Wait, _he_?” Lance questioned, one eyebrow raised. “I thought she was a girl!” 

“Nope, my Zarkon here is a strong boy and I love him with all my heart.” Coran said, pressing his forehead against Zarkon’s. “I was so worried when he got lost because I knew I’d needed to get his tags replaced, so I thought it’d be impossible for anyone to find him.” Keith and Lance exchanged a look, before Keith decided to speak.

“Yeah, we thought it'd be impossible too, but when Allura found out we had a cat she told us to come here.” Keith explained. 

“Oh! That makes so much sense! You know Allura?” He asked, stroking Zarkon’s fur with one hand. 

“Yeah, she's a friend of ours.” Lance said. “By the way, I'm Lance and this is Keith.” Lance said in way of introduction. The man’s face lit up and he eagerly reached out to shake Lance’s hand, and then Keith’s.

“Wonderful to meet you! I'm Coran! I'm Allura’s uncle!” They both blinked in surprise at that, not even knowing Allura had an uncle, but decided not to say anything. “Thank you boys so much again, I don't know what I would've done without my precious baby.” He leaned forward and kissed Zarkon’s nose again, and the cat just purred even more. 

“Can I get you boys some tea? Or some cookies perhaps? Just anything to repay you!” 

“No thanks, we’re fine-”

“I'll take some cookies please.” Lance and Keith spoke at the same time. They looked at each other, and Lance just mouthed ‘cookies’ while Keith shook his head. Lance poured and gave him what could only be described as ‘puppy eyes’, and Keith sighed and slowly dragged a hand down his face. 

“It's late and we wouldn't want to inconvenience you.” Keith reasoned, shooting Lance a scolding look. 

“Oh, no, it's no problem at all! I made cookies earlier tonight! Here, I'll just put some in a tin and be right back!” Before Keith could protest, Coran was already off to gather the cookies.

It was a few minutes later before they finally left, walking back onto the street, each with a tin of blue cookies in hand. 

The glow of the street lamp cast strange shadows across Lance’s face, and both of them stared at each other, unsure of what happened now.

What did happen now? Did they just… go home? It seemed as if so much had happened during their little adventure together, Keith couldn't imagine just leaving and never talking to Lance again. 

“So,” Lance began.

“So.” Keith said in reply. 

It was a silent standoff, each one waiting for the other to speak first. 

“I'm glad we found his owner.” Keith said, scuffing his shoes on the sidewalk.

“Same, though I can't believe he's a boy. And named Zarkon of all things!” Lance said indignantly, making Keith chuckle. “I still like Mystery better.” 

“I still can't believe you tried to name him after a Spongebob joke.” Keith said, shaking his head and smiling fondly. 

“Hey, at least I didn't actually try to name him Spongebob.” Lance said, making Keith nod.

“Okay, fair point, it could've been worse.” He conceded. They both laughed a bit at that, before it went quiet once more. 

“I… I had a really fun time tonight.” Keith admitted, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah… me too.” Lance said, scratching the back of his neck. 

Keith paused, knowing what he wanted to say next but wondering if it was even a good idea. 

“Do-Do you wanna hang out again some time?” Keith asked, his cheeks already heating up. Lance looked up from his shoes in surprise, his expression melting into the radiant smile that made Keith’s stomach do flip-flops. 

“Yeah… yeah I'd really like that.” Lance answered, biting his lip as he grinned. Keith felt himself smile too, and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Here, put your number in my phone so we can text each other.” Keith said, handing his phone to Lance. Lance immediately took the phone, handing his tin of cookies to Keith to hold. A few seconds later, Lance handed the phone back to Keith, and Keith snorted when he saw Lance had put his name as ‘Mystery’s Father’. 

“I already sent myself a text so I’d have your number too.” Lance said, pulling out his own phone. “So which way do you live?” Keith pointed down the street behind Lance. 

“What about you?” Keith asked. Lance grinned sheepishly and pointed to the street behind Keith. 

Opposite directions.

“Well, I guess I can’t walk you home then.” Lance said, his smile softening as he stared at the ground. 

“It’s okay, I can take care of myself.” Keith insisted. Lance sighed and just continued to smile as he shook his head. 

“No, I meant because I didn’t want to stop hanging out with you yet, but I know it’s getting late and we both need to go home.” Oh. Keith’s already red cheeks began to burn at that, and he smiled at the ground. 

“Well… I’m not doing anything tomorrow, if you wanna hang out then?” He looked up to meet Lance’s eyes, and despite the orange light washing out most colors, he could still see the blue in them. 

“Honestly? That sounds great,” Lance said. “Wanna meet at Hunk’s cafe around noon?” Keith’s grin widened and he nodded. 

“Sounds good to me.” They both stared at each other, once again unsure of what came next. 

“Well, um, I better get going.” Lance said, awkwardly scuffing the ground with the toe of his shoe. 

“Yeah, it’s, uh, getting late.” Keith wasn't sure when they had moved closer, but they were standing right in front of each other now. 

Lance stepped forward to leave. 

Keith decided to be impulsive. 

He reached forward, and pressed a quick kiss to Lance’s cheek, a wave of satisfaction flowing over him at Lance’s shocked expression.

“See you tomorrow!” Keith called as he walked away, a smirk dancing across his lips. Glancing backwards, he saw Lance staring after him. Keith waved, and Lance snapped out of his daze and eagerly waved back. 

The air was still warm and thick, still the epitome of a summer night. 

Keith had started out this night desperate for something, anything to do, and how he had gotten so much more than he'd bargained for. 

So, so much more.

**Author's Note:**

> BOY OH BOY IS THIS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS I'VE EVER WRITTEN
> 
> Like I said before, this was so much fun to write (and that's probably why the word count is so much longer then intended) and I hope you guys liked it! 
> 
> Mel, I really hope you liked my exchange piece for you! 
> 
> Let me know in the comments what you thought! Comments always make my day :)
> 
> My tumblr (message me peeps): zarkondoms.tumblr.com


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